How to Shake a Window to Minimize Others in Windows 11

When you are deep into a research project or multitasking heavily on your PC, your desktop can quickly become cluttered with dozens of open application windows. Minimizing them one by one to focus on a single document is tedious and disrupts your workflow. Fortunately, Microsoft included a clever, time-saving feature known as “Title bar window shake” (formerly known as Aero Shake).

By simply grabbing the title bar of the window you want to keep and shaking your mouse back and forth, Windows 11 will instantly minimize every other open window on your screen, leaving you with a clean, distraction-free workspace.

Because some users found this feature triggering accidentally, Microsoft disables it by default in Windows 11. This guide explains how to enable and use the window shake feature.

Step 1: Enable “Title bar window shake” in Settings

You must turn this feature on in the system settings before you can use the gesture.

1. Click the Start button on your taskbar and select the gear icon to open the Settings app. Alternatively, press the Windows Key + I on your keyboard.
2. In the left-hand sidebar, click on System.
3. In the main window, scroll down and click on Multitasking.
4. Look for the toggle switch labeled Title bar window shake.
5. Click the toggle switch to turn it On.

Step 2: How to Use the Shake Gesture

Now that the feature is active, using it is incredibly simple and satisfying.

1. Open several different applications or folders on your desktop so that it is thoroughly cluttered.
2. Identify the single window you want to keep open and focus on.
3. Move your mouse cursor to the very top edge of that window (the “title bar” area, usually where the name of the app is displayed).
4. Click and hold the left mouse button down on the title bar.
5. While holding the button down, quickly shake your mouse left and right three or four times.
6. Instantly, all other windows will disappear, dropping down to the taskbar in a minimized state.

How to Restore the Minimized Windows

If you realize you actually needed some of those background windows, you do not have to maximize them manually from the taskbar one by one.

To reverse the action, simply click and hold the title bar of your active window and shake your mouse again. All the windows that were just minimized will immediately spring back up into their original positions on your desktop.